Mark 4:26-29 (The Message)
"Then Jesus said, 'God's kingdom is like seed thrown on a field by a man who then goes to bed and forgets about it. The seed sprouts and grows - he has no idea how it happens. the earth does it all without his help: first a green stem of grass, then a bud, then the ripened grain. When the grain is fully formed, he reaps - harvest time!"
Jesus was telling stories to people who farmed, who understood seeds! They knew the mystery of a nurtured kernal that grows to maturity. The seeds of the Kingdom of Heaven have been scattered! But sometimes we are just like the people of Jesus' time: waiting for some cataclysmic day of rapture, when all along God has been working through our ordinary lives - working underground to nurture and grow his Kingdom. At times we may think God is absent, but we just can't see all the tiny sprouts ready to emerge.
What is our missional responsibility as farmers of the seed? How can we assist God in the nurture of the harvest? Have we allowed God to fully nurture ourselves? Can we scatter more seed? Care for the sprouts? Trust the Master Gardener in his plan? Yes, yes, and yes!
